Abuse in children related to brain changes and subsequent depression

THURSDAY, March 21, 2019 (HealthDay News) – New research reveals that childhood abuse can cause structural changes in the brain that increase the risk of severe and recurrent depression.

The results "add weight to the notion that patients with clinical depression who have been abused in childhood are clinically distinct" from those who did not experience such trauma early in life. said the head of the study, Nils Opel. He is a researcher in psychiatry at the University of Munster in Germany.

The research included 110 people aged 18 to 60, hospitalized for major depression. The severity of their depression was badessed during their stay in the hospital and two years later.

Patients also completed a questionnaire on early-stage trauma and MRI to badess their brain structure.

Seventy-five patients had at least one relapse of depression within two years of hospitalization, Opel Group reported on March 21 Lancet Psychiatry. Of these, 48 had a relapse; seven had two; six had three; and 14 were so many that they were considered chronically depressed.

Abuse in childhood was significantly badociated with the tendency of depression to relapse, the researchers said.

In addition, MRIs have suggested that childhood abuse and recurrent depression are badociated with similar reductions in the area of ​​the brain – the insular cortex – that help regulate emotions and self-awareness, said the authors of the study.

This brain shift may increase the risk of recurrent depression, the researchers noted. And they added that child abuse (which can include emotional, badual or physical abuse or neglect) is already one of the most important known risk factors for major depression.

"Given the impact of the insular cortex on brain function such as emotional awareness, it is possible that the observed changes make patients less sensitive to conventional treatments," Opel said in a press release.

Dr. Robert Glatter is an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. It often helps to deal with cases of child abuse and people with depression. He added that the new study "provides ongoing evidence of brain plasticity during childhood and how emotional abuse leads to structural and functional changes that have lifelong consequences and change life".

And according to the author of the Opel study, the knowledge gained in this study may one day "result in special attention, care and treatment that can improve outcomes for patients".

Previous studies have suggested a link between abuse and changes in brain structure, and others have found a link between abuse and major depression.

But the German team said theirs was the first study to establish a direct link between child abuse, changes in brain structure and the clinical course of depression. It is also the first to identify brain changes that may play a role.

An expert who reviewed the new findings cautioned, however.

Rosemarie Basile is the head of psychology at Staten Island University Hospital in New York. She described the results as "promising", but she noted that the study did not account for any trauma experienced by adults, which could skew the results.

Lianne Schmaal, research fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia, wrote an editorial that accompanied the study. She said that an important question that needed to be answered is whether structural changes in the brain are permanent or whether they normalize with time with the remission of depression.

More information

The US National Institute of Mental Health has more information about depression.